Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto held a closed-door cabinet meeting on Tuesday to advance education cooperation with leading British universities, including plans to build 10 new campuses focused on health and STEM fields.
The meeting, held at Prabowo’s Hambalang residence in Bogor, West Java, discussed progress on partnerships with top UK universities to strengthen Indonesia’s higher education system and workforce development, the Cabinet Secretariat said.
Officials attending the meeting included Higher Education, Science, and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto, Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Deputy Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces General Tandyo Budi Revita, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.
Brian said British partners had responded positively to Prabowo’s initiative to establish new universities specializing in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and science and technology.
The plan was first outlined by Prabowo at the UK–Indonesia Education Roundtable in London last week, as the government seeks to address Indonesia’s shortage of medical professionals.
"We currently produce only about 9,000 doctors a year, and many will retire before we reach our long-term target,” Prabowo said, underscoring the need for a strategic expansion of higher education capacity.
Prabowo said the government aims to collaborate with established British universities, many of which already partner with Indonesian institutions or operate campuses in cities such as Bandung and Singosari.
The new universities are expected to adopt British higher education standards, offer full government scholarships to top Indonesian students, and welcome foreign lecturers and professors.
Prabowo said the campuses could begin admitting students as early as 2028, adding that stronger international cooperation was essential to improving education quality and healthcare services nationwide.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak
Editor: Arie Novarina
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